Supplements&
Vitamins -O

OAK (QUERCUS)

This tree is found around the world. Valued for its beautiful durable wood, the Oak tree has also been used medicinally for millennia. The large amounts of tannin in Oak bark give this herb its strong medicinal properties.

INTERNAL USE: This herb can be taken as a tincture. Oak is used to treat varicose veins, diarrhea and the treatment of hemorrhoids.

EXTERNAL USE: A topical application of this herb can be used to treat eczema and other skin irritations.

OATS

*see Oat straw

OAT STRAW (AVENA SATIVA)

The stem of Oat plant is used medicinally. It has high amounts of vitamins A, B1, B2 and E, and is rich in silicon, calcium, manganese and phosphorus.

HISTORY: The use of Oats or Oat straw is a traditional herbal solution for many cultures. Used as a tea, bath or poultice, all are very effective in treating many ailments.

INTERNAL USE: The use of a tea made from Oat straw can help alleviate kidney and many chest ailments. It is also used to help stop bedwetting in children. Many Smokers also use it to help alleviate the need for nicotine.

EXTERNAL USE: A hot compress on the kidney area can help bring relief from kidney stone attacks. One gallon of oat straw tea in a warm bath can help bring on relief for gout, rheumatism, eczema, lumbago, sore kidneys and itchy skin. A tincture made from fresh flowering plant is used to treat arthritis, rheumatism, paralysis, liver infections and skin diseases.

Olive leaf

The monounsaturated oil of this evergreen’s fruit is the star attraction of the heart-protecting Mediterranean diet. The olive has been grown in Egypt, Israel, and Syria since biblical times but is now cultivated across the Mediterranean region, as well as in Peru, Chile, and elsewhere in South America. Amid the monounsaturated mania, the rest of the tree has gotten short shrift until recently. Its slender, feather-shaped leaves pale green on top, almost silver on the flip side, and about 2 inches long may be coming into their own medicinally.

Medicinal Properties of Olive Leaf

In folk medicine, olive leaves were used to treat and disinfect wounds. Near the end of the nineteenth century, scientists discovered a phyto-chemical in the leaves called oleuropein, which appears to kill bacteria and fungi. The extract, which also fights off free radical oxidation, has gained some popularity as a treatment for colds and infections. Herbal authorities, though, are by no means in agreement on this; just because an isolated extract may do something doesn’t mean that the whole herb will. In other research, in the country of Japan, olive leaves increased urinary output and lowered uric acid levels, both a big help to people with gout.